Dispensing package and box for strip materials



DISPENSING PACKAGE AND BOX FOR STRIP MATERIALS Filed Nov. 5, 1958 Jan. 9, 1962 F. E. GREEN, JR

FIG.

FIG.

ATTORNEYS 3 2 O 3 R 1 3 3 3 P 2 2 m I M" r I V mN w m r m f/ 3 WE m f| |||l|. \lL. 8 9 8 IR w m 2 l 2 G e m M 2 L L I n E w 7 2- F p; A u

Jan. 9, 1962 F. E. GREEN, JR 3,016,135

DISPENSING PACKAGE AND BOXFOR STRIP MATERIALS Filed Nov. 5 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR F.v ELLIS GREEN JR.

BY M/Qrfi, ask-wt,

M ATTORNEYS tes This invention relates to a dispensing box for trip materials, and the package formed therewith.

An object of the invention is a box for strip goods, which is economical in manufacture, and simple in use for dispensing successive portion of the strip.-

Another object is the provision of a box for strip goods which protects the strip except for small accessible areas at which the strip may be engaged for feeding it forward preliminary to a dispensing operation.

A further object is the provision of a semi-moistureproof package including a strip of material to be dispensed, with an enclosing box which encloses the major undispensed portion of the strip and includes guide and flap parts for controlling the feeding movement of the strip and permitting the clamping of a first part of the strip while another part thereof is being severed, an outer flap part overlying an inner flap part, with said first part of the striptherebetween, said-outer flap part being of limited dimension along the length of said strip whereby the strip is accessible for being moved forward after severance of said other part of the strip.

A further object is the provision of a package including a roll of strip material to be dispensed, with an enclosing box which provides a pivotal support for the roll during delivery of the strip, in which the box affords access to the dispensing end of the strip atspaced points and includes structure for detaining the strip during a severing operation.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear in the course of the description and claim, an illustrative form of package is shown on the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a lay-out view of the box blank.

FIGURE 1a is a lay-out view of a second form of box blank.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the box assembled in a package, during the course of a dispensing operation, at a larger scale.

FIGURE 3 is an upright sectional view, showing the relative positions of box parts, and the strip roll;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view, showing the package being held during a dispensing operation.

In these drawings, the unitary blank is shown in FIGS. 1 and 1a as having the panel and tab portions 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, separated by parallel fold lines 15, 16, 17, 18. In both forms of blanks, the panel portions 10, 11, 12, 13 can provide the four walls of a box having a rectangular section: in FIG. 1, the tab 14 is joined to the panel 12 at fold line 17, and the panels 10, 13 are joined at fold line 18; while in FIG. 1a, the tab 14 is joined to the panel 13 at fold line 18, and the panels 12, 13 are joined at fold line 17. With each arrangement, the panels and tab can be folded at the fold lines into a tube, and the tab 14 at one end of the blank cemented to the panel 13 (FIG. 1) or panel (FIG. 1a) at the other end of the blank, as indicated by the hatching 19 on the respective panel. In each form, the panels 10, 12 provide sides of the box, and the panels 11, 13 provide ends of the box.

The lower margins of the panels 11, 13 are connected across fold lines 20, 21 with the bottom flaps 22, 23, which can be turned toward one another, and the large bottom flap 24 turned to span them. The flap 24 is joined across the fold line 25 to the lower margin of the panel 10; and

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2 across a fold line 26 to the bottom tab 27 which can be tucked inside the box and has the notches 28, 29 for resilient engagement with the flaps 22, 23 to prevent accidental separation.

The upper margin of the panel 13 is connected across a fold line 38 to a flap 31 which is slightly shorter than the top margins of panels 10, 12, and is connected across a fold line 32 with a guide flap 33. The upper margin of the panel 12 provides free edge portions 34, 35 adjacent the fold lines 16, 17; and, between these free edges, a top flap 36 is connected to the upper margin of the panel 12 across a fold line 37: this flap 36 is connected across fold line 38 with a tab 39. Thus the flap 36 (FIG. 2) has a lesser dimension along the length of the strip, that is, in the direction between fold lines 16, 17 than the corresponding dimension of the flap 31, that is, between fold lines 30, 32. The upper margin of panel 10 is connected across a fold line 40 with a top flap 41: the fold line 40 being interrupted by a slit 42 extending along it, for receiving the tab 39.

This blank can be cut or punched as a unit structure.

from paste board or'other suitable material, for example after printing desired indi'cia 43 (FIG. 2) upon one or more panels and flaps. During the cutting of the blank, radial lines 44, 45 from the centers of panels 10, 12 may be.cut through the material.

The tube is formed and secured and the bottom portions assembled, to provide the illustrative box with a rectangular horizontal cross-section and essentially square side panels 10, 12. It will be noted that the fold lines in FIGS. 1 and 1a are shown as parallel or at right angles to one another. A roll R of strip material, illustratively a two-wide strip S of trading stamps is then inserted while the top parts of the box are open. Such a roll R illustratively has a hollow center; for example the strip may be wound on a cardboard tube C, FIG. 3. The areas of the panels 10, 12 between the radial lines 44, 45 are then pressed inward so that triangular portions between the radial lines enter the roll R and provide journal supports upon which the roll can turn.

The top structure is then assembled by drawing out a short length of the strip so it projects above the upper edges of the panel 11; folding the flap '41 down, FIG. 3; folding the long flap 31 down onto the fiap 41 with its fold line 30 made closely a right angle to provide a tearing or severing edge, and tucking its guide tab 33 inside of the projecting strip end; adjusting the strip end so that it overlies the flap 31; and finally folding the flap 36 down upon the strip end, with the tab 39 tucked into the slit 42.

This package can be conveniently placed on a shelf or carried in the pocket. The top flaps engage and hold the strip against movement unless positively drawn forward, or unless the box has been deformed by crushing with displacement of these flaps. When the strip is to be dis pensed, the package can be held in one hand, FIG. 4, with finger tips engaging the bottom and the panel 13 and other parts of the fingers opposite the panel 12; the panel 11 then rests against the palm, and the thumb T presses upon the flap 36. The exposed end of the strip S above the flap 31 and beyond the flap 36 can be gripped by the other hand and pulled until the desired length has been withdrawn beyond the fold line 30, FIG. 4. In the illustrative case, where the strip is of two-wide trading stamps with the stamp areas defined by longitudinal and transverse perforations, and a delivery of ten stamps is to be made, the strip is drawn out until five stamp lengths are beyond the acute fold line 30 with the transverse perforations between the fifth and sixth stamp lengths overlying this fold line 30. The movement of the strip can be controlled by pressure of the thumb T on the top flap 36 whereby the strip is gripped betwen the flaps 36, 31 with the flap 31 supported by the underlying flap 41. When the desired length is exposed, the projecting end of the strip can be severed by a downward pull and twist, with a lateral movement to start the tearing at one edge of the strip, FIG. 4.

During the dispensing pull on the strip, it unwinds from the roll R, FIG. 3, and passes upward between the end panel 11 and the guide flap 33, the latter assisting in the regularity of unwinding, thence onto the outer surface of flap 31, and beneath'the flap 36.

=In the event of dislodgement of the strip, or a false severing so that its end is beneath the flap 3d, feeding can be accomplished by thumb stroking of the part of the strip which is exposed (FIG. 2) between the upper margin of panel 11 and the adjacent edge of the flap 36, that is, opposite the free edge portion 35 of theside panel 12. This can be done Withoutopening the package. Also, the behavior of the strip as it passes opposite the portion 35 is indicative of the number of stamps remaining in the roll.

If the user of the package should have dirty fingers, such dirt need only be transferred to the box structure and to the part of the strip being withdrawn, for the reason that the normal grasping is against the box, with counter pressure of the thumb against the panel 36, noting that in the illustrative form the panel 36 has a sloping edge adjacent the Wall 11 for providing a limited space at the edge 35 and a greater space at the top of panel 16.

While an illustrative structure including a two-wide stamp strip in roll form has been described, it will be understood that the invention may be employed in other embodiments within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A dispensing package including a strip of material to be dispensed, and a box enclosing a major portion of the strip; said box having opposed first and second side panels and opposed first and second end panels and a closing bottom, an internal tab connecting said first end panel to said second side, a first flap attached to the upper margin of one of said side panels and extending over the portion of thestrip within the box, a second flap attached to the upper margin of said first end panel and extending over said first flap, a guide tab attached to said second flap at the end thereof remote from its attachment to said first end panel and extending into the box adjacent said second end panel, said guide tab being disposed intermediate an end of said first flap and said second end panel with said first flap preventing movement of said guide tab and said second flap away from said second end panel to reinforce the connection between said first end panel and said second side panel, the strip extending from within the box between said guide tab and said second end panel and thence over the outer surface of said second flap, and a third flap attached to the upper margin of the one of said side panels other than that side panel to which said first flap is attached, said third flap extending over said second flap with the strip located between said second and third flaps, said third flap having a dimension along the length of the strip less than the corresponding dimension of said second flap and terminating short of said second end panel and thereby exposing the strip at a point between said second end panel and the edge of said third flap adjacent to said second end panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

